PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The creator of the Rhode Island landmark, the Big Blue Bug, which advertises a local pest control business on Interstate 95 in Providence, has died.

The Providence Journal reports that George Cardono died Tuesday at the age of 88.

The idea for the beloved termite came from Big Blue Bug founder Leonard Goldman, his son Stephan and “their outside advertising man” Cardono. That is according to a 2012 Providence Journal column by Mark Patinkin.

Cardono, an artist with a Rhode Island School of Design background, studied termites under a microscope to create the advertisement.

He went on to found advertising agencies in Providence and New York and had a long career in different fields.